1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera having a large memory capacity in which the operability of a lens barrel is enhanced, and an ejection mechanism for a memory card used in a mobile instrument such as a digital camera or a personal computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional digital camera which incorporates a substrate having an electronic circuit thereon, a memory card receiving member (receptacle), and a connector for the memory card, in a camera body of an interchangeable lens type single lens reflex camera, the memory card receiving member is, in general, provided in the camera body and extends substantially horizontally in the vicinity of the bottom of the camera body.
In such an arrangement, in order to increase the memory capacity of the digital camera so as to take a large number of pictures without exchanging the memory card, it is possible to provide two upper and lower PC card receiving members, so that two PC cards can be stored at one time.
However, the PC card is long (wide) in the forward/rearward direction (i.e., in the optical axis direction of a camera lens of the camera) and, hence, if the two PC card receiving members are horizontally provided in the vicinity of the bottom of the camera body, it is necessary to provide a bulged portion which protrudes forwardly on a lower portion of the front surface of the camera body. Consequently, the space between the bulged portion and the lens barrel is small, so that it is difficult for an operator to operate the lens barrel (e.g., focusing ring or stop ring, etc.). This problem is more serious for a digital camera whose size in the upward/downward direction is small.
In general, the PC card receiving member is mounted to a substrate provided in the camera body. If other electrical elements are mounted to the substrate, the substrate, and accordingly the camera body, are increased in size.
Moreover, a memory card receiving member which receives a memory card, which can store various data, can be arranged in a body of a mobile instrument such as a digital camera. In known mobile instruments, a plurality of card memory receiving members having different widths are arranged therein.
Generally speaking, the memory card inserted in the memory card receiving member is ejected therefrom by operating an ejector button provided on the side of the memory card receiving member.
However, if the memory card is a PC card whose width is large, the ejector button provided on the side of the memory card receiving member increases the width of the mobile instrument. The increased width of the mobile instrument is undesirable from the viewpoint of function and design.